The New York City Triangle Factory Fire

Images of America: New York

by Workers United (ILGWU) (Primary Contributor)

On March 25, 1911, flames rapidly consumed everything within the Triangle Waist Company factory, killing 146 workers. The victims, mostly young Jewish and Italian immigrant women, died needlessly due to unsafe working conditions, such as locked or blocked doors, narrow stairways, faulty fire escapes, and a lack of sprinklers. Until September 11, 2001, the Triangle fire was the deadliest workplace disaster in New York City history. Mass grief and outrage spread from New York s Lower East Side across the country. Garment union membership swelled, and New York politics shifted dramatically toward reform, paving the way for the New Deal and, ultimately, the workplace standards expected today. Through historic images, The New York City Triangle Factory Fire honors the victims sacrifice and serves as a reminder of the ongoing struggle for the dignity of all working people."

Workers United (ILGWU)
HBO Documentary Films

Genres: History, Nonfiction, American History, Ebooks

128 pages, Paperback

First published February 28, 2011

Reviews

[Everydayreader1 · Rating 5 out of 5]

On March 25, 1911, 146 people were killed in the Triangle Factory fire in New York City when fire broke out on the 8th floor of the building in which the factory was located. It quickly spread to the 9th and 10th floors also. People jumped from windows or were burned to death because of inadequate safety and escape mechanisms.

I remember learning of this tragedy as a young girl in history class, and my dad, a young boy at the time, told me how he read about it in the newspapers of the day. I am so pleased that books such as this chronicle the tragic events so we will never forget.

[MKF · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got bored in the first chapter of this book which really set the pace for the whole book. I learned more about the unions then I did about the actual fire and the immediate aftermath. They gave a little information on a few of the victims mainly choosing ones part of the unions. The pictures for the fire can be on google which should of made the authors try harder to make this book stand out.

[Kathy Maher · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to know more about the people who died-there was little information on them. This book promoted unions soooo much, which became stronger after this fire but it was not what I wanted to read about. It also seemed as if the people writing it didn't talk to each other - things were repeated or just didn't flow. It was full of interesting pictures but wanted more on the people who died.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in NYC. 128 pp. Found online at https://archive.org/details/newyorkci... Very interesting and informative book about this tragedy. It occurred to me only while reading this book that the Triangle fire and 9/11 were 100 years apart.

The New York City Triangle Factory Fire (Images of America: New York)

[Sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent pictures. In my opinion it's a good way to learn about the tragedy.